Upsetting tool

ABSTRACT

An upsetting Rivnut or Plusnut tool having a stationary held body member with a smooth bore extending therethrough and receiving an elongated longitudinal movable member. The elongated member has its opposite ends threaded with one end adapted to receive the Plusnut or Rivnut for upsetting while the other threaded end receives a nut for rotation relative to the stationary held body member. Interlocking means interconnect the body member and the elongated member to assure non-rotation axial movement of the elongated member and the shank of the Plusnut for the upsetting action.

United States Patent [191 Maddox Jan. 21, 1975 UPSETTING TOOL [76] Inventor: Charles G. Maddox, 1589 I-luguelet St., Akron, Ohio 44305 22 Filed: on. 25, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 409,412

[52] US. Cl. 72/114, 72/391 [51] Int. Cl B2lj 15/04 [58] Field of Search 72/391, 114

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Shackelford 72/114 Primary Examiner-Milton S. Mehr Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Joseph Januszkiewicz [57] ABSTRACT An upsetting Rivnut or Plusnut tool having a stationary held body member with a smooth bore extending therethrough and receiving an elongated longitudinal movable member. The elongated member has its opposite ends threaded with one end adapted to receive the Plusnut or Rivnut for upsetting while the other threaded end receives a nut for rotation relative to the stationary held body member. Interlocking means interconnect the body member and the elongated member to assure non-rotation axial movement of the elongated member and the shank of the Plusnut for the upsetting action.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures UPSETTING TOOL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an upsetting tool and more particularly to a hand tool for upsetting Rivnuts' or Plusnuts.

Tools heretofore used for the purpose of upsetting internally threaded rivets used complicated, expensive and heavy-to-handle tools since they generally integrated power units therein. Such means made it difficult to employ the upsetting tools in the space available or in areas where there is no convenient source of a pressurized air supply for power tool operation; however, with the device of the present invention, the upsetting tool could be readily used in the tight quarters necessary to work in as well as in areas where there is no pressurized air supply. Further, the present invention can be used with conventional wrenches reducing the cost of the upsetting tool itself. Additionally, such upsetting tool has eliminated a problem of stud or Plusnut shank rotation during the upsetting process which eliminates failures due to stresses set up in the process of upsetting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention contemplates an apparatus or hand tool for the upsetting of Rivnuts or Plusnuts where a hollow body receives a threaded screw member interconnected therewith for relative longitudinal movement therebetween and with such body having a polygonal outer surface. The threaded screw has a lower reduced threaded end portion adapted to engage a Rivnut or Plusnut for upsetting. The threaded screw receives a washer and nut wherein the nut is adapted to be rotated by a wrench while the polygonal outer surface of the body is held stationary by a second wrench, which action moves the Plusnut axially only for the upsetting action.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the hand tool.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view partly in section of the hand tool with the end stem portion engaging a Plusnut.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the shank of the Plusnut fully expanded.

FIG. 4 is a modified form of the hand tool showing the hollow body in cross section as rounded rather than polygonal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1 an upsetting tool having an elongated hollow body 11 with a polygonal, preferably hexagonal, outer surface. The elongated body 11 has a centrally extending bore 12 extending longitudinally therethrough terminating into a reduced bore portion 13. The juncture between bores 12 and 13 provide an annular abutment 14. The lower one end portion of body 11 tapers downwardly presenting an anvil portion 15 for a purpose to be described. Elongated body 11 has an elongated slot 16 on one of the outer side hexagonal surfaces, thereby communicating the outer surface of the body 11 with the bore 12. Mounted for reciprocal movement in the bores 12 and 13 is an elongated member or screw structure 20. Elongated member 20 has an upper threaded portion 21, an intermediate smooth portion 22 and a lower stem portion 23. The-lower portion of stem portion 23 is threaded as at 24 for a purpose to be described. The upper end of threaded screw structure 20 has journaled thereon a washer 25 and a hexagonal nut 26. A rod means or pin means 30 is suitably secured to the intermediate portion 22 of screw structure 20 having its outer end portion extending into slot 16 thereby preventing relative rotation between body 11 and screw structure 20. Such interconnection between pin means 30 and slot 16 operates as an interlocking means of the body 11 with the screw structure 20. Rotation of nut 26 causes longitudinal movement of the screw structure 20 relative to body 11 due to the engagement of pin means 30 with slot 16.

In the operation of the hand tool disclosed in FIGS. 2 and 3 assuming that the hand tool is in the condition shown in FIG. 1, the body 11 is slid in a longitudinal direction relative to the screw structure such that the pin means 30 engages the lower end portion of the slot thereby extending and exposing the entire thread structure 24 of the stem portion 23. A Plusnut 28 is then inserted onto the stem portion 23 and the threaded portion 24, and advanced thereon until the flange 29 of the Plusnut 28 abuttingly engages the anvil portion 15 of the body 11. Plusnut 28 has a plurality of slots 27 in the shank thereof to accommodate the designed collapse or upsetting process as is known in the art. The shank of the Plusnut 28 is then inserted through the work piece designated 31 in FIG. 3 until the flange 29 of the Plusnut abuttingly engages such work piece 3]. Nut 26 is then rotated until the washer 25 firmly engages the upper end portion of body 11 through the action of nut 25 as seen in FIG. 2. A wrench such as an open end or box end wrench is then placed on the hexagonal surface of body 11 and held stationary while a second wrench is placed on nut 26 and rotated clockwise. Rotation of nut 26 causes an axial force only to be applied through the threaded nut 26 which moves the screw structure 20 axially outward away from the work surface drawing the Plusnut 28 upwardly towards the work piece 31, which action upsets the Plusnut as seen in FIG. 3 without twisting the shank thereof. The pin means 30 located closely adjacent to the work surface 31 assures the relative axial movement between the body 11 and the screw structure 20 and eliminates the rotative stresses otherwise inherent in these operations. The elimination of the problem of rotational stresses at the bottom portion of the Plusnut 28 during the upsetting process has eliminated the twisting of the shank of the Plusnut and its filures. The location of pin 30 in slot 16 is determined by the length of the shank of the Plusnut or Rivnut since the pin 30 travels upwardly as viewed in FIG. 2 toward the nut 26 during the upsetting process. After collapse of the Rivnut or Plusnut, the uppermost wrench that is secured to the nut 26 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, removing compression forces while the other wrench that secures the body 11 is held stationary. Counterclockwise rotation of body 11 will withdraw the threaded portion 24 of stem portion 23 from the Plusnut. A modification of the body.

11 is shown in FIG. 4 wherein the body 11 may have a round outer surface with a pair of spaced flat portions 32 for receiving a tool to hold such body 11 from rotation rather than being hexagonal.

Various modifications are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the described invention, as hereinafter defined by the appended claims as only a preferred embodiment thereof has been disclosed.

What is claimed is:

l. A hand powered upsetting tool for outwardly expanding the shank of an internally threaded tubular Rivnut or Plusnut comprising a body, said body having a longitudinally extending smooth walled bore throughout the length thereof, said body having a polygonal outer surface for receiving a wrench, said bore being reduced in cross section at one end of said body, the juncture of said reduced bore with said main through bore presenting an annular abutment, an elongated member journaled in said bore of said body, said elongated member having an upper threaded portion and a lower reduced threaded stem portion, the juncture of said upper threaded portion and lower reduced stem portion provides a shoulder for engagement by said annular abutment, a nut threadedly mounted on said upper threaded portion for exerting axial pressure on said body, said body having slot means for communicating said smooth walled bore with the said outer surface thereof, and said elongated member having a pin extending transversely therethrough and projecting into said slot means of said body for interconnecting said body and said elongated member to prevent relative rotation therebetween but permit longitudinally movement therebetween.

2. A hand powered upsetting tool as set forth in claim 1 wherein a bearing member is journaled on said elongated member between said nut and said body.

3. A hand powered upsetting tool for flanging the shank of an internally threaded tubular Plusnut comprising a body; said body having an outer longitudinally extending outer surface and a longitudinally extending smooth walled bore therethrough; said outer surface of said body having at least a pair of spaced flat surfaces for engagement by a tool; said bore being reduced in cross section at the one end of said body; a slot in said outer surface of said body communicating the outer surface with said bore; said body having a flat annular surface on the lower end portion for bearing against the flange of a Plusnut; said body having elongated slot means communicating said outer surface of said body with said bore; an elongated member journaled in said bore of said body; the upper end portion of said elongated member being threaded; the lower end portion of said elongated member being reduced in cross section providing a stem portion; the terminal end portion of said stem portion being threaded; a nut threadedly mounted on said upper threaded portion for rotation relative to said elongated member; a washer journaled on said upper threaded portion between said nut and said body; and interlocking means interconnecting said elongated member to said body by projecting into said slot means to prevent relative rotation between said body and said elongated member but permit longitudinally movement therebetween. 

1. A hand powered upsetting tool for outwardly expandinG the shank of an internally threaded tubular Rivnut or Plusnut comprising a body, said body having a longitudinally extending smooth walled bore throughout the length thereof, said body having a polygonal outer surface for receiving a wrench, said bore being reduced in cross section at one end of said body, the juncture of said reduced bore with said main through bore presenting an annular abutment, an elongated member journaled in said bore of said body, said elongated member having an upper threaded portion and a lower reduced threaded stem portion, the juncture of said upper threaded portion and lower reduced stem portion provides a shoulder for engagement by said annular abutment, a nut threadedly mounted on said upper threaded portion for exerting axial pressure on said body, said body having slot means for communicating said smooth walled bore with the said outer surface thereof, and said elongated member having a pin extending transversely therethrough and projecting into said slot means of said body for interconnecting said body and said elongated member to prevent relative rotation therebetween but permit longitudinally movement therebetween.
 2. A hand powered upsetting tool as set forth in claim 1 wherein a bearing member is journaled on said elongated member between said nut and said body.
 3. A hand powered upsetting tool for flanging the shank of an internally threaded tubular Plusnut comprising a body; said body having an outer longitudinally extending outer surface and a longitudinally extending smooth walled bore therethrough; said outer surface of said body having at least a pair of spaced flat surfaces for engagement by a tool; said bore being reduced in cross section at the one end of said body; a slot in said outer surface of said body communicating the outer surface with said bore; said body having a flat annular surface on the lower end portion for bearing against the flange of a Plusnut; said body having elongated slot means communicating said outer surface of said body with said bore; an elongated member journaled in said bore of said body; the upper end portion of said elongated member being threaded; the lower end portion of said elongated member being reduced in cross section providing a stem portion; the terminal end portion of said stem portion being threaded; a nut threadedly mounted on said upper threaded portion for rotation relative to said elongated member; a washer journaled on said upper threaded portion between said nut and said body; and interlocking means interconnecting said elongated member to said body by projecting into said slot means to prevent relative rotation between said body and said elongated member but permit longitudinally movement therebetween. 